


Key

by Happy_Pill



Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Character Death, Childhood Friends, Dystopia, Established Relationship, Growing Up, Growing Up Together, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Phone Sex, Science Fiction, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Happy_Pill/pseuds/Happy_Pill
Summary: Humanity was at the end of its ropes and hope for a better future was already dwindling down to nothing. By the time the capitol had sent out the distress signal many were already prepared to die.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Lee Giwook | Cya
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	Key

**[ 24 : 05 : 13 ]**

Giwook has known Geonhak ever since the day he was born, before he could even understand or remember him. They weren't exactly brothers, but with their cubed units sitting together side by side, they might as well have.

Geonhak had always been a quiet. He didn't talk unless he had to, didn't cry unless he meant it. Even when the storms outside were at their strongest, Geonhak never voiced a word of complaint or fear. He was a silent figure that seemed unfazed and unmoved by anything the world threw at him.

So when his hyung told him that he was leaving, tears streaming down his face, something inside of Giwook broke harder than it should have.

"Please don't cry, hyung, not like this." His voice was softer than he meant it to be. But that didn't matter, because his hyung didn't respond to his words.

"Didn't you hear me Giwook? I'm l-leaving, I'm leaving you behind." His voice cracked.

It hurt, fuck it hurt so much to hear him, see him act this way. And yet Geonhak still looked at him head on. Eyes red and puffy, broken into a frown that tore his heart open to bleed. Scared.

Giwook did what his hyung was afraid to do. He hugged him, one arm cradling his head, petting softly at the short black locks.

Geonhak melts into the touch, his entire body laying down most of the heavy weight. It was almost comical, how he was the older one, the one who kept training long and hard in the gym; going off on border patrols for the government, but here he was, tearing himself open just like this. Laying down all of himself unto a fragile, little boy.

"It's okay hyung, everything will be okay. You don't have to worry about me, alright?"

Geonhak doesn't reply, only holds on tighter, as if afraid of letting go.

**[ 22 : 12 : 07 ]**

They've been texting back and forth for a while now. Mostly just emojis on Giwook's end, reassuring his hyung that yes, he was still here. No, nothing has happened yet. Everything was alright.

He must be miles away from here now, probably boarding into the ship that would take him light-years away from here. But that didn't seem to matter when they were texting one another like this. As though Geonhak was still on the other side of the wall next to his.

It felt... emptier here.

There were memories littered all over his blue carpated floor, where his soft mattress lay.

There were cds stacked nearby his cd player, records that they never found a record player for, and casette tapes with personal playlists he and his hyung made. It felt important somehow, to keep these musical remnants of the old world, from a time before either of them were born, even though it was meaningless in the end.

It meant something to someone once, who had written these words and laced themselves into tunes and melodies that still echoed in his mind.

He remembers the first time he made a song, though he can no longer remember the words, he remembers the way the tune went, a soft little hum on his lips. Geonhak would probably sing it for him if he asks. He always seems to know the lyrics exactly, even if Giwook himself could never seem to recall.

His voice was angelic, the kind that could lull you to sleep even when the thunder outside raged like a monster. Even when he could hear his mother yelling behind his door, the thin, paper walls hiding nothing but its contents; Geonhak would sing to him, softly so only he could hear, from his side of the wall. Giwook swears that in moments like those, he could feel the other laying right beside him, protecting him from the world outside.

Protecting him with all he can, no matter how many bruises grace his face.

**[ 17 : 09 : 04 ]**

It was probably irrational, the fact that he felt the need to hold the gun.

It was something Geonhak had gifted to him years ago, when he first turned nineteen. Geonhak had given it to him as a birthday present, something he smuggled in from the patrol.

"Are you crazy, hyung? You'll be killed if someone finds out that you took this!!" he hisses into the silence. Although Geonhak's parents were in the other room, listening to the government radio and all the propaganda that lay within it, he couldn't risk being heard.

Geonhak places the gun in his hands, placing his own, larger hand atop of it.

"It's fine Giwook, I haven't been caught, and I won't be in the future. It's already here anyways, nothing you can do to change it."

"Hyung, I don't need a gun. I can protect myself."

Geonhak sighs, in that exasperatedly fond way of his. "I know you can. I just don't trust myself to protect you when I really have to. I can't always be there for you, even when I want to."

Geonhak presses his forehead against Giwook's staring into his younger's eyes as he places a hand on the nape of his neck.

"Just take it, take it so I'll feel safe even when I'm not around you."

They stare at each other for a time. Giwook still felt that he shouldn't take the weapon, shouldn't even have to. But he looks into his best friend's eyes and knew that he could never say no to him. To that utterly stubborn and determined look. He took the gun, cradling it in his left hand, and closes the gap between their lips.

When he went back into his room, he stashed the gun underneath his bed and vowed to never touch it again. But here he was, the cool metal in between his hands as he stood in front of his bedroom door.

Giwook didn't know how long he was standing there for, but eventually, he let out a long, shaky exhale as he twisted the knob open.

Outside his room, the unit was messier than he remembered it being. Random bedsheets and clothes littered all over the floor. Shoes scattered around the ground in front of the thankfully closed entrance.

His mother's bedroom door was open. Ominous but somehow reassuring all at once. She never leaves her door open like that, but he still feels the hairs behind his neck stand on end as he passes it, heading into the kitchen.

He gets out all of the food, bags and bags of instant meals. And all the water bottles.

It takes him about two trips to get everything into his bedroom. He even moved the little electric stove in, just so he could cook everything.

He didn't look into his mother's room. And not once did he let go of the gun.

**[ 15 : 09 : 16 ]**

Geonhak called Giwook on the phone. It was loud, he could tell the room was full of other people. There were children crying, people yelling, a few teens giggling. Giwook couldn't imagine it. The last time he had been around so many people at once was when he was still going to school.

"Hello hyung, what's going on?"

"I'm inside the ship now, Giwook. I think we're about to take off."

"That's good."

They eased into silence, but even Giwook could hear Geonhak thinking from miles and miles away.

"What time is it now Giwook?"

He turned to check the digital clock by his matress. "It just turned six hyung, why do you ask?"

"Think you could head to the roof in a bit? I want to watch the stars with you."

Giwook laughed. His hyung was so sentimental.

"Wait for a moment."

He grabbed his backpack, putting in a few bits of food, cds with its player, headphones, and though he thought twice about it, the gun.

Opening the window he expertly crawled onto the fire escape, making his way up the ladder until he reached the flat rooftop. When he got there, he checked his phone, glad to see he was still on the call.

He places his backpack down, using it as a pillow as he looked up into the sky. The stars were just starting to come out, the sky turning into a dark inky blue that almost looked black. The last of the sun's rays beginning to wink out of existence.

"I'm here hyung."

On the other end of the line, Geonhak hums.

Laying like that, he could recall the past few times they've snuck out to peek a glimpse at the sky.

The first time around, he was thirteen, Geonhak sixteen. At midnight, his mother finally fell asleep. Possibly passing out from the alcohol she somehow brought in. That day was a bad one, even worse than usual, but he let himself stay silent, took every little thing until he was forced into his room.

He let out a soft sob without realizing it.

Geonhak heard him, of course he did. Becuase nothing could really stay a secret between those papery walls. He snuck into his room, to Giwook's confusion, but didn't answer any of his questions, and only told him to follow, going back outside. He did so, and climbed up the ladder he had never noticed before.

When they reached the rooftop Geonhak laid down and gestured for Giwook to the same. He held out his hand, and Giwook, though reluctant at first, soon held on to it like a vice, silent tears streaming down his face.

Looking up at the sky, seeing what stars they could under the gritty smoke and light pollution, Giwook felt calmer than he ever did before.

"Thank you hyung."

Geonhak squeezed his hand in response.

That was the first time Giwook had called him by that name.

**[ 11 : 10 : 27 ]**

Giwook was back inside his bedroom, eating another bag of food. This time it tasted like spicy tteoboki.

Geonhak was settling into his room. The signal was starting to get a bit choppy. ~~He tried not to think about that.~~ He could hear the other boy's parents wishing him goodnight as Geonhak seemed to pile his bags unto the floor.

He heard his hyung lay down on the bed.

"Giwookie."

Immediately, he felt his body stiffen. He places his food down, pressing the phone back into his ear.

"Yes, hyung?"

"I miss you Wookie... I want you here."

He feels his breath start to quicken. Geonhak simply chuckles at that response.

"I never knew I affected you this much Wookie-ya." he almost sounded smug, but there was a breathless quality to his voice that revealed that he wasn't as nonchalant as he made himself out to be.

"That's a lie hyung, and you know it."

He hums, and for a moment Giwook thought he would stop it at that.

But then, "Do you remember the first time, Giwookie?"

Fuck.

He had just turned eighteen then, Geonhak had graduated from the academy and was going to start working at the border patrol like he wanted. He remembers being both proud and devastated at the ceremony.

When his hyung gave his speech he looked so extremely shy in front of the huge crowd, definitively tongue-tied, but he had managed to get through to the end, his classmates laughing along with him. One in particular cheering him on so loudly, with a bright eye-smile and an energetic vibe.

His soon-to-be field partner apparently.

Seoho had greeted him warmly, his laugh blinding and his personality even worse. Talking to him was like squinting at the sun on the hottest day of the year.

He hated it.

He ignored the nagging feeling he got whenever the other would touch his hyung so blatantly.

When everything was over, they were on the rooftop once again. Had to be, since Giwook never told his mom where he was going and didn't want to risk going back in yet. Geonhak told him he wanted to be alone from everyone else.

Giwook gave him his space, laid down away from him with their hands clasped together, reminiscent of the times when he couldn't even bother to hold onto him. Even though at this point, he'd fallen asleep atop of Geonhak so many times it shouldn't matter anymore.

"Wookie-ya? Why are you so far away?"

Giwook clicks his tongue, a little annoyed. "I told you not to call me that hyung, I'm not a puppy, remember?"

But then Geonhak was on top of him, crowding his space as he laid his arms beside his head, their hands still clasped together. Giwook's breath hitched in his throat. He was all he could hear, all he could breathe, all he could see.

"Tell me to stop." he whispered.

One of his thighs pressed in between Giwook's legs. Causing him to bite his lip to avoid making a sound. He looked at his hyung's eyes, feeling somewhat dazed and confused.

Geonhak laid his head in the juncture of neck and shoulder, breaking eye contact and hiding his shame. "I like you, Wookie-ya. I have for a while now. So please, tell me it's not okay. Tell me that this is wrong, that I should stop."

But instead of doing any of those things Giwook wrapped a leg around Geonhak's hips, pushing them closer with the heel of his foot.

"And if I don't want you to stop?"

Geonhak doesn't answer, only breathing heavily as his free hand clasps hard onto Giwook's hip, sure to leave a bruise underneath all that pressure.

A beat passes, and Geonhak crashes their lips together, a mesh of lips, teeth, tongue, swallowing all of Giwook's sounds as he grinds them together.

They crawl back into Geonhak's room in a daze, locking his bedroom door as he grabs lube and a condom from his bag.

He can remember it clearly, the sensation of fingers inside of him, his hyung kissing him deeply just so he would shut up. Thinking, knowing, that they would probably get caught anyway, but not caring at all.

He remembers feeling his eyes roll at the back of his head once Geonhak was really inside. Pulling his hyung's hand over his mouth to at least muffle his moans.

Closer, closer still. Their foreheads pressing together as sweat drenches them both, Giwook still holding his hand, the other tugging at himself to finally reach the high, pleads flowing from his lips as he calls for his hyung to finish.

"Hyung, what--"

"Giwook, I want you to touch yourself." He sounded breathless, desperate, but dripping with the authority of an older brother.

He bit his lip, but complied, plugging in his headphones as he laid down on the mattress. He held on to the sheets, one hand going downwards to his groin.

"Are you doing it?"

"Y-yes hyung I am."

He tries to keep himself quiet but Geonhak doesn't seem to care at all, talking like he was right on the edge. His voice was hitting those low tones that was making him gasp a little bit louder.

"Fuck, I wish I could be inside you right now."

Giwook whimpers, breaths going faster and faster as he tugs at himself more and more.

"Do you have any l-lube?"

Giwook nods, forgetting his hyung can't see him.

"I h-have some."

"Finger yourself."

Giwook outright moans at that, causing his hyung to groan at his reaction. He gets the lube from beneath his pillow, and coats his finger on it. Slowly, he pushes inside, hissing a little as he tries to adjust.

One finger turns to two, which turns to three when Geonhak tells him to add one more. He isn't even trying to keep quiet at this point, outright moaning and yelling as his hyung sends praises into his ears.

"I-I wish I was with you h-hyung, --want you inside."

"Are y-you close Wookie-ya?"

He gasps, yelling out a yes as his hips move down on his fingers, his other hand trying to go faster.

"Come for me, then."

He spills, yelling out Geonhak's name over and over again. In his ears, he can hear the other Groaning low and long.

A silence transcends across the room as Giwook tries to comprehend what exactly just happened. He giggles, the ridiculous tragedy of it all raining down on him in his post-coital bliss.

"I love you Giwookie."

"I love you too hyung."

**[ 8 : 04 : 01 ]**

The topic comes out suddenly, almost completely out of nowhere.

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to be?"

Geonhak hums at the question, his voice turning a bit staticky, but it wasn't all to difficult to discern what he was saying.

"If we're talking about the global era, maybe Japan."

"Why Japan?"

"Because things were pretty advanced by then. Plus I heard they had fun amusement parks and cafés at that point."

Giwook laughs at the answer. "Not worried you'd get fat from eating all those cakes?" he teased.

"No, because you would be there to eat it for me."

This wasn't the first time something like this came up. Shortly after Geonhak had graduated and began working out on the field, he'd find books from eras long past. Written pages that couldn't be destroyed from the data purge.

He'd bring these books back to Giwook, and together they would pore over the words, from a time so different from their own it seemed like another world entirely. He would lay on top of Geonhak, reading these words softly as the older boy softly carded his fingers through his hair.

It was a beautiful gift, to hear stories about places outside the borders, outside the walls. When there was a time the world was open to explore.

What he loved the most were his cds though.

It was raining heavily that day, acidic drops hissing outside as the thunder roared out in the distance. Geonhak had crawled in, leaving his raincoat, boots, and gloves outside.

"Look what I got you."

He flashes out a small circular disk, a image of some sort on one side and shiny silver on the other.

"What is it?"

"It's something from back then, apparently it plays music."

"How?"

"With this."

He pulls out a little machine from his backpack. It was another circular object, except this one was black on all sides, buttons on the top of it. He places it down on the ground, and Giwook scoots closer to it, tilting his head as he inspects the small thing.

Geonhak sits down next to him, and plugs a wire into it. He pushes a button, causing the thing to open up like a clam. He gestures for Giwook to put in the cd, which he does, the silver part on the bottom as the older instructs.

Geonhak then puts one of the wire things into his ear, and gives the other to him. He places it in his ear as well. Geonhak presses another button.

Light piano notes begin to play directly into his ear, the crooning voice of a boy singing as the tune begins to pick up a bit more.

He turns to his hyung in amazement, his eyes widening as his smile goes wide. Geonhak chuckles, humming along the tune as he laces his fingers into Giwook's hand.

**[ 5 : 09 : 22 ]**

The signal cuts off.

Giwook realizes this the moment it takes a second too long for his hyung to breathe.

He cries.

He doesn't know how much time passes, maybe an hour, maybe two. 

When he finally stops crying, all he can think about is Geonhak, out there somewhere in space, the time he has up there just as unpredictable as when he was down here. He could explode too, if the ship wasn't as far away as they'd thought, and somehow still get caught in the blast.

But he could live too.

When the song begins to play, he thought he was finally going insane, reaching that breaking point at last, despair crawling in his veins as he wishes to hear his hyung's voice one more time. Just for one more moment.

As time starts ticking down, he realizes that it wasn't his imagination. The song was playing off from the government radio, from all the goverment radios, all at once.

He thought about others like him, abandoned, left to die on a rock that was long since dead. Knowing that at any moment, they would disappear forever and ever.

He thinks about Geonhak once again. Thinks about his smile, and his voice, his laughter, and his tears. He thinks of the last time they saw each other. The last kiss they shared when Geonhak finally gained the courage to look into Giwook's eyes.

Thinks of the key he gave him. 

He starts crying again.

**[ 00 : 01 : 24 ]**

Geonhak has been listening to the song play on loop for ages now.

When the signal cut out entirely, he felt like he was dying, thought that he already was dead. The moment it switched off he stood, walking towards the small window that showed the planet that he was leaving behind. 

He couldn't comprehend it, couldn't even begin to think of a world without Giwook in it. So when he couldn't hear the boy breathing anymore he felt like he wasn't even breathing himself.

It was inevitable, that the signal would cut off eventually. Although the connection inside the ship was strong, that didn't mean it was the same back home. But he didn't think it would happen so soon, and so quickly. Giwook was there, and then he wasn't.

When the song first played Geonhak thought he had finally snapped, because they were absolutely no way that this was Giwook. Even though he prayed it was. 

He couldn't help but cry anyway.

There was less than a minute left and as he stared, the planet grew smaller and smaller--

The whole world explodes.

The shockwave was so strong Geonhak could feel it deep in his bones.

Or maybe that was just his entire world breaking apart in front of his very eyes.

**[ 00 : 00 - 17 : 00 - 26 ]**

When he finally looked away from the chunks of shattered rock, he tugged at the key laced around his neck.

There was a numbness that wasn't really there. A kind of shock that left him apathetic to anything and everything.

He felt like he was watching himself from the outside, watching him pull out a small, blue wooden box onto the too soft bed.

He remembers finding that box for the first time, underneath broken bits of rubble that was similar to any other in that empty wasteland. He was lucky, as the key still in the lock, all of it still in one piece. 

There was nothing inside, it was junk, really. But instead of placing it into the trash bot to be recycled, he placed it inside his bag, below his raincoat, clothes, food, and everything else.

Somehow he knew that Giwook would love to have it.

Later on in the night he climbed into the bedroom that became as familiar as his own. Giwook was reading another of the books, so immersed in the words he didn't seem to notice Geonhak entering the room. He must have read that book a million times by now. 

"Giwook-a, I got something for you."

Closing his book shut, the younger boy stood up to hug him, pressing their lips together in greeting.

"What is it hyung?"

"It's just a box. I thought you might like it though."

He pulls it out, placing it on the ground. Giwook sits next to him and inspects it.

"This is the key. You can put whatever you want in it."

He places the slightly rusted metal into his hand, closing it. Giwook looked at his closed fist, before looking at the box. Without hesitation he placed the key into the lock, turning it this way and that, as if to check as though the mechanism still worked.

"Do you like it?" Geonhak asks.

"I love it." Giwook tells him, a small smile on his face as he kisses the older boy's cheek. "I was just reading about it you know, a time capsule."

"A time capsule?"

"This might have been one in the past."

Geonhak hums thoughtfully. "So what are going to put in it?" 

"I can't tell you that." Giwook laughs. "It's going to be a surprise."

And what a surprise it was.

He never did see the box again, in fact he had forgotten all about it. Until today, when Giwook had given it to him. 

Removing the key from his neck he placed it into the lock and turned it, a soft click opening it up. 

Inside was a camera, one that Seoho had bought for Giwook's twentieth birthday. It was a simple, common camera you could find anywhere in the capital, but something you wouldn't even know about if you lived in the outskirts.

The birthday party was small. So small it only consisted of the three of them, plus Seoho's friend who was on call. It happened on the rooftop, as it always did, and Geonhak had bought him a small cupcake as a treat.

"Thank you for doing this for me, hyungs. We didn't have to celebrate my birthday, you know."

"Nonsense." Ravn told him through the phone. "Everyone gets to have their own special day."

"Yup!" Seoho grins, eyes disappearing with his smile. "And you can't do anything about it but deal with our affection."

Giwook laughs, the kind that has him shutting his eyes in delight. And Geonhak couldn't help but kiss him silly. The night continued on, filled with happiness and love.

When Giwook was first given that camera he barely understood how it worked. It took Seoho days and days of explaining before he eventually figured out to do it himself, much to the young soldier's indignation.

Geonhak turned the camera on with shaking fingers. Once it booted up, a dialogue box popped up on screen. The memory was full, and no more pictures could be taken. 

  


[ Do you wish to view the photos? ]  
[ ☑ Yes. No. ]

  


He presses accept, and taps into the gallery.

Instantly, memories upon memories drift unto the screen. Pictures of himself, of Giwook, even a few of Seoho flying through.

He could feel his hands shake harder and harder the more he goes through everything, going from one photo to the next, memories flashing through his head with each one.

A sound comes out of him, like that of a bot that was suddenly corrupted, shutting down all systems at once. His legs give out, and he crumples into the floor. Tears streaming down as he hugs the camera close to his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> That was a bit of a mess but I hope it was okay. Here's the song in question for anyone curious: [x](https://youtu.be/LOYueoWBCiU)


End file.
